Rail-joint



e. H. BARBOUR.

RAIL JOINT.

APPLICATION HLED DEC. 6. 1917.

Patented Aug. 3, [1920.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

INVENTOH G. H. BARBOUR.

RAIL JOINT.

N FILED D im Patented Aug. 3,1920- z SHEETS-SHEET 2.

1 6, the spaces between the two flanges GEORGE H. BVARBOUR, OF-PITTSBURGI-I, PENNSYLVANIA.

RAIL-JOINT.

Application filed December 6, 1917.

T0 all 'whom t may concern.'

Be it known that I, GEORGE H. BARBOUR, residing at Pittsburgh, in 'the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement'in.

Rail-Joints, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, in which:

Figure 1 is a sectional elevation of a portion of a railway track embodying my invention;

Fig. 2 is a vertical cross-section vof the structure shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of a slightly modified form of one of the joint bars which I preferably employ.

My invention has relation to rail joints, and is designed to provide a rail joint having a novel form of splice bar which is so constructed as to permit the joint portions of the rails to have some vertical movement between their points of support on the bars.

The present application is a continuation in part of my copcnding application Serial No. 88,817 filed April 4. 1916, and of my Pat-v ent No. 1,252,647, dated January 8th, 1918.

The nature of my invention will be best understood by reference to the accompanying drawings, which will now be described, it being premised, however, thaty the invention is susceptible of other modifications within the scope of the appendedgclaims.

`Referring to these drawings, the numeral 2 designates track rails, and 3 the joint bars. The particular form of joint which I have shown, is, lin general, similar to that described and claimed in my said application, Patent No. 1,252,647 of January 8H, 1918, being a riveted joint employing tubular rivets which are seated and expanded while the engaged parts are held under compression in the manner more fully described in said application. The splice bars illustrated are, however, of somewhat different form than those shown in my said application. Each of these bars comprises an upper flange 4, a lower flange 5, and a connecting vertical web forming seats for the heads of the rivets. These splice bars also preferably have limited areas of contact with the fishing angles of the rails, -being provided for this purpose with fspaced bearing projections 7, which.

engage the fishing angles. The purpose of Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 3, 1920.

Serial No. 205,710.

these limited areas of contact will hereinafter appear.

The tie shown in Figs. 1 and 2 consists of an integral rolled metal section having a generally horizontal, although preferably somewhat V-shaped web portion 8; downwardly and outwardly sloping ballast-bearing flanges 9, terminating in horizontally extending and preferably thickened edge portions 10, and two right-angled railcarrying flanges 11, 'one of which rises at each juncture of t-he web 8 with one of the flanges 9. The rail-supporting portions of the right-angled flanges 11 are turned horizontally outward and are preferably thickened, as indicated at 11a. This thickening of these flanges, as well as the thickening of the edge portions 10 of the flanges 9, materially stiffens and increases the strength of the ties.

The rails 2 are secured to the ties by any suitable fastenings. In the drawings, have shown the tie plates 12, secured to the flange members 11a of the ties by rivets 13 and having rail-base-engaging clips 14 and 15. The clip 14 is shown as integral with the tie plate, while the vclip 15 is a separate member which is secured by one of the rivets 13.

Y It will be noted that the ballast-bearing area of each tie is formed not only by the flanges 9 'and 10, but also by the webs 8, thereby giving a relatively large total ballast-bearing area. Also that the, sloping arrangement of the flanges 9, together with the V-shape of the web 8, gives the tie a self-tamping action.

Rail joints constitute a great defect in track construction. In the joints heretofore employed fourteen inches more or less of the rail ends are held rigidly'in a viselike manner between the splice bars, and these portions of the rails are thereby prevented from deflecting freely. By the use of splice bars of the character hereinbefore described, having spaced apart bearing projections 7,- engaging the fishing angles of the rails, this vise-like grasp is in part relieved and the rail is permitted some vertical movement between its points of supporton the bars. Splice bars embodying this feature may be of widely different forms. one of such forms being shown in Fig. 1 and a somewhat modified form in Fig. 3. It will be noted that with the form of bars shown, Ithe bottom flanges of the hars will entirely clear the fastenings which secure the rails to the ties.

I claim: j

1. A joint plate` or splice-bar for railway track rails, comprising a web having upper and lower projecting portions on its `inner side, said portions havingnon-continuous rail bearing projections, substantially as described. j

2; A joint plate or splice bar for railway track rails, comprising a webhaving upper and lower projecting portions` on its inner side, said portions being intermittently thickened along their free edges to provide non-continuous rail bearings, substantially as described. l

3. A joint or splice bar for railway track rails, comprising a web 'having iianges ex- 20 tending from its upper and lower edges and my hand.

having central and end rail-bearing projections at both its upper and lower edges, the

ing means of the railz substantially as def' scribed.

4. A ra-'il oint having opposite splice bars embracing and secured to the A end portion of the rails, each of said bars comprising a web having flanges extending from the upper and lower edges thereof, said bars having intermittent rail-bearing projections at both their upper and lower7 edges, the lower edge of said flanges having a-thickened extremity arranged t0 clear and 'cover the cross-tie fastening of the rail, substantially' as described.

/In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set GEORGE H. HARBOUR 

